Smartphone interruptions: Are yours relentless and annoying?

From www.eurekalert.com

Rutgers University

Does your smartphone spew a relentless stream of text messages, push alerts, social media messages and other noisy notifications?

Well, Rutgers experts have developed a novel model that can predict your receptiveness to smartphone interruptions. It incorporates personality traits and could lead to better ways to manage a blizzard of notifications and limit interruptions - if smartphone manufacturers get on board.

"Ideally, a smartphone notification management system should be like an excellent human secretary who knows when you want to be interrupted or left alone," said Janne Lindqvist, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Rutgers' School of Engineering. "We know that people struggle with time management all the time, so a smartphone, instead of being a nuisance, could actually help with things."

Currently, smartphone users can limit interruptions by turning off their ringers, but no system figures out when you want to receive notifications. "Preferably, your smartphone would recognize your patterns of use and behavior and schedule notifications to minimize interruptions," said Lindqvist, who leads a research group focusing on human-computer interaction and security engineering.